The Kansas vs Missouri debate, why does half of KC hate the other half? (Dixon: fit in, allergy)

[dpgtfc]

Rather than Samantha's Single Song?

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by dpgtfc

Rather than Samantha's Single Song?

Hey I'd love to put this ridiculous issue to rest! I'm tired of singing the same old song too!

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Hey I'd love to put this ridiculous issue to rest! I'm tired of singing the same old song too!

Ridiculous it is. I lived in Overland Park and Shawnee from 1979 to 1990 and it was abundantly clear why Johnson county was preferable to the Missouri side as a place to live and work. No hatred - just very soundly based preference.

Posts like this thread opener are growing very tiresome and should be ignored IMHO.

[Versatile]

Originally Posted by luzianne

I don't think that is something that is exclusive to Cass County or Missouri. I think anywhere that people are not allowed to shoot fireworks, they find somewhere that they can. There are bans against fireworks in Missouri suburbs too, so it could just as easily be Missouri people on D highway in Cass County as Johnson County people. I personally don't know of any Johnson County person who goes to Missouri to do fireworks; they (by "they" I mean mainly high school/college age kids) go south out of the city limits to do it. Or they go to a 4th of July party on private property outside of town where it is allowed. Most people I know, including myself, watch a fireworks display and forego doing their own fireworks. It would be okay with me if they were outlawed altogether because they do make a huge mess.

I agree with you that anywhere there is a ban that some wil go where they can shoot them off. Sure there will be licene tags from othe states as well. The vast majority of them are JOCO tags.

On the 4th of July all you need to do is make a right turn off of D hwy on the first road you come to south of the 155th st county line and observe for yourself. Those creating the litter could pick it up but choose not to. Try to look at the area before the 4th and then look at it the next morning. You will very easily see what i mean.

[BostonToKC]

Allow me to share my thoughts on this never-ending debate. I do not wish to add fuel to this raging fire; I merely wish to reveal my observations as a recent transplant. I am new to this forum and, as indicated by my username, I relocated from the Boston area to the KC area fairly recently.

JOCO people (and again this is a personal observation and perhaps an over-generalization; do not flame me) appear to be more arrogant, shallow, and materialistic than citizens in other parts of the metro (i.e.: WYCO, Northland, Central KCMO, etc). This is reflected by the rampant "keep up with the Jones" mentality as evidenced by the abundance of luxury cars, luxury homes, plastic-looking middle-aged women prancing around the Oak Park Mall as though they are competing with teenage girls and twentysomethings, etc. Also, even though they do not give Boston or New York/New Jersey drivers a run for their money, JOCO drivers definitely have limited respect for traffic laws and are quite lousy at yielding to pedestrians (such as on the Country Club Plaza or around downtown). JOCO drivers seem to barrel through the Plaza pedestrian crosswalks as if they are cruising down Metcalf Avenue.

I make a good living and when I first moved to the area I was steered to JOCO, however I soon relocated to the Northland (Platte County) mainly for commute reasons but also because of the prevalent JOCO attitude, the blandness of the area, and a lack of authenticity. While Platte County shares some of JOCO's characteristics, it is closer and feels more connected to the interesting attractions in urban KCMO.

Having said all of this, I must be fair to JOCO, as it has a higher median income than the other metro counties. What I perceive as more down-to-earth people in the other counties probably indicates a higher blue-collar presence in those counties. In that respect, even though JOCO is quite snobby relative to the rest of KC, the same can be said about any other affluent county (i.e.: Orange County, CA, Westchester County, NY or parts of Middlesex County, MA where I formerly resided).

[dpgtfc]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Ridiculous it is. I lived in Overland Park and Shawnee from 1979 to 1990 and it was abundantly clear why Johnson county was preferable to the Missouri side as a place to live and work. No hatred - just very soundly based preference.

Posts like this thread opener are growing very tiresome and should be ignored IMHO.

Well, JOCO is nice (even considering I grew up in MO and went to Mizzou), but it isn't the ONLY place to live. Posts like the OP add debate, but are more interesting than those that suggest the same crap over and over.

I.e:

"Where should I live?"

"JoCo".

Yawn...

(Not that it "really" matters to me. I'm out of Missouri for good in 1 week.)

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by BostonToKC

JOCO people (and again this is a personal observation and perhaps an over-generalization; do not flame me) appear to be more arrogant, shallow, and materialistic than citizens in other parts of the metro (i.e.: WYCO, Northland, Central KCMO, etc). This is reflected by the rampant "keep up with the Jones" mentality as evidenced by the abundance of luxury cars, luxury homes, plastic-looking middle-aged women prancing around the Oak Park Mall as though they are competing with teenage girls and twentysomethings, etc.

Don't worry. I don't entirely disagree with this characterization. I can't, I've seen it too. Because the median income is higher, there are more people who are materialistic and play the "keeping up with the Joneses" games. There's no denying that. When people make fun of that JoCo stereotype, well, we have to suck it up and take it.

But not everyone is like that. Not everyone hates the entire world outside of their 10 acre neighborhood! And there are people who are just as snobby and superficial who live on the MO side.

Again, I think it's a matter of expectation sometimes. Once you've run into one or two snobby people from JoCo, it's natural to then assume that all JoCo people must be like that. So when someone drives by in a Lexus with JoCo plates, you think "snob!" When you pass me at the grocery store and I don't happen to smile at you because I'm concentrating on something else, then you think "snob!"

What I hear quite often is the "preemptive strike" kind of defensive comment. Something like, "Well, my car has a dent in it. It's a good thing I don't live in JoCo! I'd probably get arrested for that!!" Then a leering look to me for a reaction. What am I supposed to say? They've already made up their minds and will use whatever I say as a justification that they are right.

Originally I had been apprehensive about living in certain areas because I had bought into this myself!! "I can't live there!! With all those snobs!!" But the truth is that for every real snob in JoCo, there are 10-20 really nice people, who love where they live, but don't give a hoot where you decide to live. They will be nice to you no matter what kind of car you are driving or what your zip code is.

I just get really tired of hearing about how all of JoCo "looks down" on everyone else. And I really get tired of hearing that all the animosity is brought on and perpetuated by only JoCo.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Don't worry. I don't entirely disagree with this characterization. I can't, I've seen it too. Because the median income is higher, there are more people who are materialistic and play the "keeping up with the Joneses" games. There's no denying that. When people make fun of that JoCo stereotype, well, we have to suck it up and take it.

But not everyone is like that. Not everyone hates the entire world outside of their 10 acre neighborhood! And there are people who are just as snobby and superficial who live on the MO side.

Again, I think it's a matter of expectation sometimes. Once you've run into one or two snobby people from JoCo, it's natural to then assume that all JoCo people must be like that. So when someone drives by in a Lexus with JoCo plates, you think "snob!" When you pass me at the grocery store and I don't happen to smile at you because I'm concentrating on something else, then you think "snob!"

What I hear quite often is the "preemptive strike" kind of defensive comment. Something like, "Well, my car has a dent in it. It's a good thing I don't live in JoCo! I'd probably get arrested for that!!" Then a leering look to me for a reaction. What am I supposed to say? They've already made up their minds and will use whatever I say as a justification that they are right.

Originally I had been apprehensive about living in certain areas because I had bought into this myself!! "I can't live there!! With all those snobs!!" But the truth is that for every real snob in JoCo, there are 10-20 really nice people, who love where they live, but don't give a hoot where you decide to live. They will be nice to you no matter what kind of car you are driving or what your zip code is.

I just get really tired of hearing about how all of JoCo "looks down" on everyone else. And I really get tired of hearing that all the animosity is brought on and perpetuated by only JoCo.

Well said.

And I, too, encountered some snobs in JoCo, but it was still a nice place to live. Some snobs can be found in all upscale neighborhoods wherever you go - in urban as well as suburban areas.

I would move back without hesitation if it weren't for those ungodly summers. The summers here in the Bay Area are the best reason to live here and I'm spoiled in that regard after 19 years. I have always missed the KC fall and winters, though.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Well said.

And I, too, encountered some snobs in JoCo, but it was still a nice place to live. Some snobs can be found in all upscale neighborhoods wherever you go - in urban as well as suburban areas.

I would move back without hesitation if it weren't for those ungodly summers. The summers here in the Bay Area are the best reason to live here and I'm spoiled in that regard after 19 years. I have always missed the KC fall and winters, though.

Yes, the summers in KC and points off to the south are horrible. Around where I live people complain if it gets in the 80s.

[cp1969]

Wonder why anybody puts up with it? "OMFG, it's 90 degrees outside! Let's move! Oh, wait a minute; air conditioning works here just like it does everywhere else. Never mind."